When people ask what I do, I tell them I help women with anxiety, diabetes and energy slumps flip their moods, transform their health, and skyrocket their energy… so they can focus on work and family instead of health problems.

Yet lately we’ve been hearing about empowering women, a wonderful trend. And it has me wondering whether I can – whether I do – empower women through food.

This brief post touches on physical health issues in women and how food can help prevent or reverse them.

Are Women’s Key Health Concerns Food-Related?

Some of the primary health issues of concern to women are heart disease, cancers (lung and breast cancers are the top 2), diabetes, hypertension, obstructive lung diseases, flu and pneumonia, and kidney disease. Of course, there are others.

Of the diseases above, the ones that may be considered food-related are the metabolic conditions: heart disease, breast cancer, diabetes, and hypertension. All of these have been shown to have their roots in insulin resistance. Helping women reverse these conditions with food and exercise is a specialty of mine, and I have a solid track record of doing so.

(Even colds and flu may be considered food-related to the degree that foods will either support the immune system or derail it.)

Another health concern for pregnant women is – or should be – autism in their babies. The risk of autism is greatly increased if the mom-to-be has one or more of the metabolic conditions listed above, and/or high cholesterol, high triglycerides or polycystic ovary syndrome.

Does Changing Diet Help Reverse Metabolic Conditions?

Most health information states that weight loss will lead to reversal of metabolic conditions. And yes, weight loss can and will absolutely help.

But how wonderful is it that just eating differently can set the changes in motion – even before the weight loss happens?

My approach focuses on setting metabolic changes in motion AND making them stick. To the degree that I show women how to eat in a way that can reverse insulin resistance and its associated diseases, I love being able to say that my work can and does empower women.